Summerville, South Carolina
December 21, 2010 – IMO’s solar tracker may
seem small compared to the sun, but standing 53 feet tall with 1,614 square
feet of solar panels, it’s the biggest of its kind in South Carolina.
The tracker’s flat surface
sits on a pillar and is programmed to follow the sun’s trajectory from sunrise
to sunset. The tracking ability increases its efficiency by 30 percent.
"All it needs is the sun," IMO USA Corp. CEO
Ruediger Unverzagt said.
IMO opened its Dorchester County warehouse and
offices less than a year ago and has created 20 jobs. Next year they plan to
hire 50 more people, according to Unverzagt.
A portion of South Carolina’s American Reinvestment
and Recovery Act money was used to bring IMO to the state.
The German company unveiled its solar power tracker
and solar-powered street lamps to the public on Dec. 14.
About 100 people attended
the ceremony at IMO’s American headquarters, 101 Innovation Drive in McQueen
Park, Summerville. Elected officials and business leaders praised IMO.
The tracker produces 42,000 kilowatt hours each
year, enough to power four homes. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the
tracker’s environmental equivalent is that of planting 6,700 trees or driving
106,000 fewer miles a year, according to IMO.
The solar tracker is used to power 40 percent of IMO’s
operations in Dorchester County, including offices and a warehouse where IMO’s
920 light series slewing ring is currently made, according to IMO spokesperson
English Burton.
The 920 light series is
used in small construction machinery, small cranes, packaging and labeling
equipment, welding equipment, Burton said.
The recently installed
solar tracker that sits between the street and IMO’s parking lot is a prototype
made in Germany. The company expects to make solar products in Dorchester
County in the near future, Burton said.
IMO makes solar trackers in
several sizes costing anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000. Burton said price
varies by size and whether it has a single or dual axis.
Although Germany gets about the same amount of
sunlight as Alaska, it produces more solar energy than any other country,
Unverzagt said.
When German energy prices soared, resources had to
be restructured and people adapted, he said. It is only a matter of time before
energy prices soar in South Carolina and the United States, Unverzagt said.
"IMO is a global company with the of option of
locating anywhere in the world," said Sean Bennett, Charleston Regional
Development Alliance Chairman. "The fact that you’ve chosen to expand here
validates our position as a true international location."
"IMO is proud to be here and bring some of these
(energy) jobs to South Carolina," Unverzagt said.
He said IMO has two main goals: increasing
renewable energy resources in the United States and continuing to create jobs
that improve the economy.
"It is evident that the production of solar power
is extremely versatile as well as efficient," Unverzagt said. "It requires
little maintenance and produces no emissions or toxic waste."
Klaus Pless, VP of IMO USA solar sales, said the solar
energy absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere in an hour is more energy than the world
uses in a year.
"In our state we have no
conventional indigenous energy resources," Director of the S.C. Energy Office
Ashlie Lancaster said. "We have no coal, no uranium, no petroleum. To meet our
energy needs we’re having to import those resources – exporting our jobs and
our money instead of keeping those things right here at home."
Lancaster said IMO will help grow an indigenous
energy economy the state has not seen before and will provide jobs and reduce
dependency on foreign oil.
"Our energy needs are going to continue to grow,"
Sen. Paul Campbell said. "Solar is going to be a big player in South Carolina
and the world . . . Solar creates jobs. It provides income, it provides
opportunity for South Carolinians and it does apply to our energy needs for the
future."
Bob Long, General Manager of SCANA (South Carolina
Electric & Gas), said the three things cutomers want most is power restored
after emergency outages, reliable planning and energy for the future.
Long, also chair of the Palmetto Clean Energy
Board, said more than 60 percent of customers want green, renewable energy.
IMO’s solar power street lamps use LED lights that
have a life expectancy of 10 years. The lamps will light even if the sun
doesn’t shine for three days, according to Pless. There are three solar street
lamps at IMO’s Dorchester County location.
For more information visit www.goimo.com
